Vehicle door-fastener.



R. H. WILLOOX.

VEHICLE DOOR FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.22, 1913.

1,079,969, v Patented Dec.2, 1913.

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VEHICLE DOOR PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED ,MAR.22, 191s.

1 ,O79,.969, Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2:

I uvomtoz WM "Maw RODERICK I-I. WILLCOX, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

VEHICLE DOOR- FASTENER. i

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2,1913.

Application filed March 22, 1913. Serial No. 756,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RODERICK H. WILLCOX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle Door- Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vehicle doors and is particularly directed-to an improvement in doors slidably mounted upon the vehicles.

It is aimed to provide a door of this type which will prevent the bothersome rattle thereof when the vehicle is in motion. Various endeavors have been made along this line and my invention aims to provide a structure for binding the door against movement in a manner that will prevent its rattle. To this end, I have provided a trackway and a friction member binding therewith, operable fro-m either the inside or the outside of the vehicle. This structure may be used as a locking means for the door itself and in this event the door may be held locked in any adjusted position and automatically releasable upon movement of the operating handle.

Another object of my invention is to provide an operating handle for freeing the door out of its frictional binding, that is operable in either a forward or backward movement. This structure permits the ready manipulation of the door from either an open or closed position.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of refer ence designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a common type of vehicle having a slidable door and showing my invention applied thereto, Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a slightly enlarged side view of my invention shown applied to the vehicle, Fig. 4 is a detail View of the operating end of the friction member, Fig. 5 is an end view of my invention looking from the right of Fig. 3, Fig. 6 is an enlarged view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3, and, Fig.

7 is a detailview of a portion of the operating handle used by me.

In the drawings, I have shown a common type of vehicle comprising sides 1, top 2, dash 3, seat structure 4 and slidable door 5.

The door 5 is suspended from the trackway 6 by the brackets 7 carrying the usual roller construction 8. Adjacent the lower edge of the doors are provided brackets 9 bent to hook shape, as shown, to cooperate with the side boards 10 of the vehicle bed and thereby prevent lateral movement of the doors. However, when moving along the road, these doors will inevitably rattle and to guard against this, I have provided a trackway 11, preferably of hollow semi-circular form, securely attached to the base board of the seat structure. A rod 12 is designed to be carried by the door 5 and to be held in frictional binding relation withv the trackway 11, thereby serving both as a means of locking the door in any adjusted position and also as a means for the prevention of the rattle, by forcing'the rollers 8 tightly against their, trackway 6. The

friction rods 12 should be carried in a line for one end of the coiled spring 1 8, which.

is permanently attached at its opposite end to the vehicle door as shown at.l9.'l The spring 18 is normally slightly extended and therebyexerts a forward pull upo-nthe rods 12 and thereby forcing them into binding relation with their trackways 11 through the medium of the links 15. It will also be noted that these links .15 are normally slightly inclined and thereby prevent moving of the rods 12 past their dead center. 1

The operating handle 20, shown in detail in Fig. 7, is provided with an angular portion 21 adapted to be passed through the door body and securely held in place thereextend a considerable distance below the point of support 26 of these handles and .thatxtheyqare-adapted to abut one end of the friction rods 12. It will,.the'refore, be noted that movement of the handle portion toward the right as indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 3, will cause a. rearward movement of the friction rods 12, also shown in dash lines, and that these rods are thereby moved out of engagement with their complemental trackways 11. 'This movement will, however, be natural only when the door 5 is movedffrom its open position to its closed posltion. v In order to accommodate the natural tendency of a person when opening the door, to pull the opening'lever toward'himself or, if a knob, to give such Iknob aright-handed turn, I'have provided each of the rods 12, with a right angular upward extension 27 adapted to extend upward a distance slightly abovethe supporting points 26 .of the inside handles, It will, therefore, be noted that movement of the handle portions 25 to the left will also cause movement of the friction rods 12 to the position shown in dash lines by the coaction of the upward extensions 27 with. the upper portions of the body portions. 24 of the inw side handles. In ordertoprevent di'slodgment of the upward extensions 27, .I'have provided eachof theiinsidehandles with a. guardplate 28 which serves as a confining medium for these. extensions.

' It will be apparent that movement of the inside handles as outlined above, will cause an additional'tensioning ofthe springs 18 andfthat, therefore, the'friction rods 12 will be automatically returned to; their operative position upon release of these.inside'han- .dles. It will also be apparent that the 'doors themselves may be adjusted upon their traokways to various positions and that they willfin all these-positions, be securely held in position by the provision of'the binding structure outlined, this binding structure having the additional function of preventing their rattle while the vehicle, is in motion.

WVhatl claim, is: V 1. In combination with a 'slidably mounted vehicle door, meansforfrictionally binding said. door against movement, an operat- .ing handle, means connected with said opcrating handle and operable by operation of the handle for rendering said binding acl tionineffectiveto allow free movementof the door, and means for automatically reestablishing said binding action upon release of said handle.

2. In combination with a slidably mounted vehicle door, means for frictionally binding said-door against movement when in any position, an operating handle, means connected withsaid'operating handle and operable by the operation of the handle for rendering said binding action ineffective to allow free movement of the door in either direction, and means for automatically reestablishing said binding action upon release of said handle.

3. In combination with a slidably mounted vehicle .door, a trackway mounted on the vehicle body, a friction member adapted for cooperation with said trackway normally frictionally binding the door against movement, and means for moving said member bodily away from said trackway to permit movement of the door.

4. In combination with a slidably'mounted vehicle door, means 'for frictionally binding said door against movement, a pivoted handle element, and means controlled by said handle element in its movement in either a forward or backward direction to render said binding action ineffective to allowfree movement of said door.

5. 'In combination with a slidably mounted vehicle door, a trackway mounted on the vehicle body, a friction member carriedby said door and cooperating-with said trackway, a handle element pivoted to said door, and means controlled by said handle element'in its movement in either a forward or backward direction to render said friction member ineffective.

6. In combination with a slidably mounted vehicle door, a hollow semi-circular trackway mounted on the vehicle body, a rod friction member cooperating with said trackway, link connections between said rod and said door, a spring for forcing said rod in engagement with saidtrackway, and a handle element pivoted to. said door and operable either by. a forward orbackward movement to force said rod out of engagement with said trackway and against the tension of said spring.

.7. In combination with a slidably mounted vehicle door, a trackway mounted on the vehicle body, a rod friction member cooperating with said tra'ckway, a spring for forcing said rod in engagement with said trackway, a'handle element, and means 'for moving said rod as a whole out of engagement with said trackway by operation of said handle.

8. In combination with a slidingly mountedvehicle door, means for frictionallv binding sai'd door against movement. a handle portion, a bartowhich said handle portion is connected intermediate its ends, and a bar extension lying parallel with and abut- In testimony whereof I afi ix my signature ting saig first mentioned bar, such last menin presence of two Witnesses.

tioned ar eing operatively connected to said frictionally binding means whereby RODERICK WILLOOX' 5 the binding action is relieved b3 either a Witnesses:

forward or reverse movement of said handle WALTER E. L. BOOK,

portion. A. L. PHELPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

